CHICO -- Vouchers for $1,000 to $3,000 are now available for Butte County wood-burning stove owners to buy new Environmental Protection Agency-compliant heat sources.

Only about 150 vouchers will be given this year by the Butte County Air Quality Management District to the first qualified applicants.

Discounts of $1,000 will be given to those who trade their wood-burner for another wood-burning stove. The voucher goes up to $1,750 if a gas or pellet stove is purchased. Some $3,000 vouchers are available for low-income individuals and families.

Mike Hidahl of Grand Ole and Discount Chimney Sweeps said wood stoves are the least expensive, usually costing between $1,200 and $2,800. Gas stoves run about $2,100 to $3,500 and pellet burners cost between $1,800 and $3,600.

Other stove dealers said installation and taxes are often overlooked, but the vouchers should cover all the expenses.

A-1 Stoves' base model wood stove costs about $1,500 after taxes and installation, said Hubert Burk, the owner of the stove seller on Benatar Way in Chico.

Low-income families can upgrade from the base model, getting a stove that is more efficient and still have the cost covered by the voucher, said Mario Allen, a representative for Associated Energy Systems.

Applicants must take a picture of their old stove as a part of the application process.

"We can help them take the picture, even direct them to the right person," Burk said.

The rebates are part of a settlement between the EPA and Mississippi-based engine firms PowerTrain Inc., Tool Mart Inc. and Wood Sales Inc. To make up for selling engines that didn't meet federal pollution standards, those companies will shell out about $600,000 over the next three years for Butte County residents to swap their old, inefficient wood-burning heat sources.

Gas and pellet stoves have lower emissions than wood stoves, even EPA-compliant wood burners, so the number of rebates and the cost for the companies could differ from the estimates, depending on what stoves Butte County residents purchase.

The Air Quality District is getting $200,000 this year.

To apply for a voucher, visit the Air Quality Management District office at 629 Entler Avenue, Suite F, visit one of the participating retailers listed on the district's website at www.bcaqmd.org/page/retailers.php or print out an application from the district's website, www. bcaqmd.org.

For questions, call toll-free at (844) 600-9663.

The vouchers won't be given out "over-the-counter" as they were in the past, when people could turn in the application and wait in the air quality office for approval, said Armen Kamian, associate air quality planner for the county's air quality department during a press conference for the program. Vouchers will either be mailed or approved applicants will receive a phone call to pick them up in person.